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Gone 'til November
It’s late at night when Florida sheriff’s deputy Sara Cross arrives at the scene of a roadside shooting along a deserted highway. Another deputy, Billy Flynn, her former partner, who also happens to be her former lover, has fatally shot a twenty-two-year-old man during what started out as a routine traffic stop, and she’s the first to arrive on the scene. He claims that the man pulled a gun, and that when he didn’t respond to Billy’s commands to drop it, Billy shot him. Billy is clearly upset, shaken up; Sarah sees the gun in the dead man’s hand and the bag of illegal weapons in the trunk of his car and believes Billy’s actions were justified.
Up north in New Jersey, Mikey-Mike runs a major drug operation and is tightening his hold on the competition, making a deal with a new supplier. Morgan, a middle-aged enforcer for Mikey who’s been in the life too long, would like to make one last score, walk away, and retire for good. Mike asks Morgan to head to Florida to find out what’s holding up his new deal, and Morgan sees the job as a possibility for his last big payday.
As more details of the roadside shooting emerge with Sara’s investigation, and as Morgan follows the trail Mikey lays out for him, the two storylines begin to merge into a much darker, more menacing scenario than either Morgan or Sara imagined. Sara, in order to protect herself and her son, must follow the truth no matter where it leads.
Acclaimed crime writer Wallace Stroby delivers a gripping novel that is part modern noir, part intense character study---and totally compelling from start to finish.
Up north in New Jersey, Mikey-Mike runs a major drug operation and is tightening his hold on the competition, making a deal with a new supplier. Morgan, a middle-aged enforcer for Mikey who’s been in the life too long, would like to make one last score, walk away, and retire for good. Mike asks Morgan to head to Florida to find out what’s holding up his new deal, and Morgan sees the job as a possibility for his last big payday.
As more details of the roadside shooting emerge with Sara’s investigation, and as Morgan follows the trail Mikey lays out for him, the two storylines begin to merge into a much darker, more menacing scenario than either Morgan or Sara imagined. Sara, in order to protect herself and her son, must follow the truth no matter where it leads.
Acclaimed crime writer Wallace Stroby delivers a gripping novel that is part modern noir, part intense character study---and totally compelling from start to finish.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 19, 2010
7 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Wallace Stroby
27 books108 followersWallace Stroby is an award-winning journalist and the author of the novels
Cold Shot to the Heart, Gone 'Til November, The Heartbreak Lounge and The Barbed-Wire Kiss..
A Long Branch, N.J., native, he's a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore. "The Barbed-Wire Kiss," which The Washington Post called "a scorching first novel ...full of attention to character and memory and, even more, to the neighborhoods of New Jersey," was a finalist for the 2004 Barry Award for Best First Novel.
A graduate of Rutgers University, Stroby was an editor at the Star-Ledger of Newark, Tony Soprano's hometown newspaper, for 13 years.
Cold Shot to the Heart, Gone 'Til November, The Heartbreak Lounge and The Barbed-Wire Kiss..
A Long Branch, N.J., native, he's a lifelong resident of the Jersey Shore. "The Barbed-Wire Kiss," which The Washington Post called "a scorching first novel ...full of attention to character and memory and, even more, to the neighborhoods of New Jersey," was a finalist for the 2004 Barry Award for Best First Novel.
A graduate of Rutgers University, Stroby was an editor at the Star-Ledger of Newark, Tony Soprano's hometown newspaper, for 13 years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 21, 2014
Great book
Story starts off with a cop making a car stop that goes wrong. Sara Cross is a strong point of view character and believable as a cop. The action is done well and the police procedure accurate.
This is the first Stroby i have read. Now I will read all of Stroby
Story starts off with a cop making a car stop that goes wrong. Sara Cross is a strong point of view character and believable as a cop. The action is done well and the police procedure accurate.
This is the first Stroby i have read. Now I will read all of Stroby
February 11, 2015
It's nice to start the year on a high note, and for me this is certainly a high note. it's classic noir fiction, as Sheriff's Deputy Sara Cross is called the the shooting of a young black man in rural Florida. To add complication to the shooting, the man with the smoking gun is her ex-boyfriend and fellow Deputy, Billy Flynn. And there's money missing. A lot of money. The action is as hot and steamy as the weather, as also thrown into the equation are a Hiatian drug gang and an ageing (gotta be careful here, he's the same age as me!) New Jersey 'enforcer' called Morgan, who is on the scene to grab a piece of the action.
The prose is lean, the characters are well drawn and the dialogue... well, this is the star of the show. I flicked back through the pages after I finished and it's fair to say there's a high conversation count. Just the way I like it. The mood is just right - brooding, edgy. Morgan is the central character and if a rumoured series is to be spawned, I'd go with him rather than the predicted (and somewhat weak) Sara Cross. He's a multi-layered dude with a modicum of moral code and when he's not dispatching foes he's ruminating on his perilous health condition or slipping another soul cassette into his ancient car system. Thankfully, there's enough ambiguity in the action packed denouement to make this at least an outside possibility.
I know there are flaws here and others have highlighted the fact that Sara is more a follower than a driver of the action and that the overall premise is far from original. But I can set these aside as I just loved the whole flow of the book. I didn't pause to think to much about plot subtleties, I just enjoyed the ride.
I'm becoming a big fan of Stroby. He's not yet written many books and I've already devoured a good percentage of his output. In fact, I'm already debating whether to dive right into my ancient, second hand copy of The Barbed-Wire Kiss (with its font so small I might need a magnifying glass to read it) or hold on to savour it at a later date. If you have a penchant for noir fiction you really have to catch up with this man.
The prose is lean, the characters are well drawn and the dialogue... well, this is the star of the show. I flicked back through the pages after I finished and it's fair to say there's a high conversation count. Just the way I like it. The mood is just right - brooding, edgy. Morgan is the central character and if a rumoured series is to be spawned, I'd go with him rather than the predicted (and somewhat weak) Sara Cross. He's a multi-layered dude with a modicum of moral code and when he's not dispatching foes he's ruminating on his perilous health condition or slipping another soul cassette into his ancient car system. Thankfully, there's enough ambiguity in the action packed denouement to make this at least an outside possibility.
I know there are flaws here and others have highlighted the fact that Sara is more a follower than a driver of the action and that the overall premise is far from original. But I can set these aside as I just loved the whole flow of the book. I didn't pause to think to much about plot subtleties, I just enjoyed the ride.
I'm becoming a big fan of Stroby. He's not yet written many books and I've already devoured a good percentage of his output. In fact, I'm already debating whether to dive right into my ancient, second hand copy of The Barbed-Wire Kiss (with its font so small I might need a magnifying glass to read it) or hold on to savour it at a later date. If you have a penchant for noir fiction you really have to catch up with this man.
August 5, 2021
5 Stars
February 14, 2015
"Forget about money. Pain's the only currency. And everybody pays their way."This decent standalone effort by author Wallace Stroby tracks parallel stories of two vastly different people on different sides of the law as their paths start to cross surrounding an officer-involved Florida roadside shooting of a young black man. Sara Cross is a small-town sheriff's deputy who is the first responder to the shooting. The officer involved happens to be her ex-boyfriend that she inexplicably still has the hots for, but soon she suspects that there is more to the shooting that meets the eye. Meanwhile, Morgan, an aging hitman from Jersey reluctantly comes into town hired to find out what happened to a shipment of money and guns that never made it to its destination.
This novel reads so much like a George Pelecanos novel, I wouldn't be surprised if it actually was dug out of his closet somewhere. It has so many of the same themes, same structure, and written with the same prose-style: an unadorned, direct, no-nonsense manner, like Ernest Hemingway meets Elmore Leonard. Even Morgan, the story's best character, reads like a Pelecanos hero, sort of like Derek Strange if he decided to break bad. Morgan, is efficient and ruthless, is tired of the life, but needs the money to deal with a rare intestinal cancer that's flared up in him. Listening to the old cassette tapes of the classic soul music that he loves is the only thing that eases the pain.
But my biggest problem is with the character of Sara. I was surprised by how incapable of a protagonist she was. She never seems to be able to take care of herself when trouble goes down, always needing to be rescued. But not only that! She was COMPLETELY inconsequential to the story. And it seems like Stroby went out of his way to make her immaterial. We follow her as she uncovers clues, but then the story is pushed forward because of the actions of other people, not because of anything she did. I realized at the end of the novel that if Sara was removed from the book altogether, the development of the plot would not change at all.
The book is entertaining enough while reading it, but I was left fairly unsatisfied when it was all said and done. But, I hear nothing but great things about Stroby's series novels, which I'm starting very soon. Hopefully they're better.
September 11, 2016
PROTAGONIST: Deputy Sara Cross
SETTING: Florida
RATING: 4.5
It seems like a clearcut case of a driver taking evasive to hide the contents of his vehicle during a routine traffic stop, but in this case the driver is shot by the attending officer. When Florida Deputy Sara Cross is called to the scene, the evidence supports that scenario. The fact that the cop who killed the driver is her former partner and lover, Billy Flynn, doesn’t enter the equation. It isn’t until later that Sara begins to have doubts about his version of events.
The victim didn’t have any kind of criminal background, but there was a cache of weapons in the trunk of the car. It is assumed that he was involved in some kind of drug run. The truth of the matter is that there was also $350,000 in the car which was designated to start a new drug partnership between some Haitians and mobsters in New Jersey, and that stash is nowhere to be found. The head honcho wants the money back and hires a fifty-something hood by the name of Morgan to track it down and bring it back. Morgan had been thinking about getting out of the business due to poor health; however, he needs a lot of money to pay for treatments that will help him recover. It’s an excellent twist to the narrative to see the bad guy going through his own issues.
Stroby is best known for his two earlier books set in New Jersey. He does an equally fine job of depicting the Florida setting. Although the plot was compelling, the real strength of the book was in the characterization. Sara, in addition to being an excellent and hard working cop, is a single mom whose 6-year-old son is undergoing chemo treatments for leukemia. At the same time, she showed a lot of conflicting feelings for Billy, who certainly didn’t deserve a woman of her integrity. Morgan also had unexpected depths to him. It was odd to feel sympathy for a man who was basically a killer. His deteriorating health was distressing. At times he didn’t follow the script, making him a complex and enigmatic character.
Wonderful writing, excellent plot and characters – it was a treat to read this book. It’s nice to put yourself in the hands of someone who does it as well as Stroby does. GONE ‘TIL NOVEMBER is a powerful book, and one that you shouldn’t miss.
SETTING: Florida
RATING: 4.5
It seems like a clearcut case of a driver taking evasive to hide the contents of his vehicle during a routine traffic stop, but in this case the driver is shot by the attending officer. When Florida Deputy Sara Cross is called to the scene, the evidence supports that scenario. The fact that the cop who killed the driver is her former partner and lover, Billy Flynn, doesn’t enter the equation. It isn’t until later that Sara begins to have doubts about his version of events.
The victim didn’t have any kind of criminal background, but there was a cache of weapons in the trunk of the car. It is assumed that he was involved in some kind of drug run. The truth of the matter is that there was also $350,000 in the car which was designated to start a new drug partnership between some Haitians and mobsters in New Jersey, and that stash is nowhere to be found. The head honcho wants the money back and hires a fifty-something hood by the name of Morgan to track it down and bring it back. Morgan had been thinking about getting out of the business due to poor health; however, he needs a lot of money to pay for treatments that will help him recover. It’s an excellent twist to the narrative to see the bad guy going through his own issues.
Stroby is best known for his two earlier books set in New Jersey. He does an equally fine job of depicting the Florida setting. Although the plot was compelling, the real strength of the book was in the characterization. Sara, in addition to being an excellent and hard working cop, is a single mom whose 6-year-old son is undergoing chemo treatments for leukemia. At the same time, she showed a lot of conflicting feelings for Billy, who certainly didn’t deserve a woman of her integrity. Morgan also had unexpected depths to him. It was odd to feel sympathy for a man who was basically a killer. His deteriorating health was distressing. At times he didn’t follow the script, making him a complex and enigmatic character.
Wonderful writing, excellent plot and characters – it was a treat to read this book. It’s nice to put yourself in the hands of someone who does it as well as Stroby does. GONE ‘TIL NOVEMBER is a powerful book, and one that you shouldn’t miss.
July 13, 2021
I've taken to Wallace Stroby's Crissa Stone series. She's cool, in control and kickass when she needs to be. So I was disappointed with the female protagonist in Stroby's standalone novel Gone 'Til November.
Sara Cross is a Deputy Sheriff and although she pulls a gun a few times, she is more often than not manipulated by a duplicitious lover, sidelined by her colleagues and overcome by almost every other male character during the story. She was not a character who instilled me with any confidence in her judgements nor did the action ever get shaped by her decisions; it seemed driven by the actions of the men around her in the story.
This is one of those occasions where, as an editor, I'd ask the writer if perhaps he hadn't chosen the wrong character as lead protagonist. As a female reader, I thought Sara was largely inept, and poorly developed. In fact, most of the characters were poorly developed, leading to some weak motivations and inconsistencies in character actions.
The story was okay and I stuck with it to the end but I don't think it's a fair represenation of Stroby's talents as a writer. If you want to sample those, check out the Crissa Stone series instead.
Sara Cross is a Deputy Sheriff and although she pulls a gun a few times, she is more often than not manipulated by a duplicitious lover, sidelined by her colleagues and overcome by almost every other male character during the story. She was not a character who instilled me with any confidence in her judgements nor did the action ever get shaped by her decisions; it seemed driven by the actions of the men around her in the story.
This is one of those occasions where, as an editor, I'd ask the writer if perhaps he hadn't chosen the wrong character as lead protagonist. As a female reader, I thought Sara was largely inept, and poorly developed. In fact, most of the characters were poorly developed, leading to some weak motivations and inconsistencies in character actions.
The story was okay and I stuck with it to the end but I don't think it's a fair represenation of Stroby's talents as a writer. If you want to sample those, check out the Crissa Stone series instead.
September 13, 2021
Like this author and will read more of his. This one was good prose flow and also with the various locations, a compelling read. Morgan's situation put as it was within the brutal plotting schemes etc.- very much a pull. So true too. Sick happens and is never timing convenient.
Jane is and will be a good character to follow too. I did read some of the reviews and I feel nearly the opposite of some of them. This is too real. Women of every ilk and trade or work place are not super women just because of their role facts. And most women cannot be Amazon invulnerable for long periods of their life either. Jane was intrinsic to the story and scene. And very real and flawed. Just as many are of every authority position. Or perp identity. Either way or path.
I'll be interested to what happens next with her and with Danny. Billy's are in all our lives, regardless of anyone wanting them there or not. Only the very lucky go without having one messing up or worse. Timing always negative to influence too, much of the pattern.
Stroby knows some real police and authority figures. You can certainly tell.
Jane is and will be a good character to follow too. I did read some of the reviews and I feel nearly the opposite of some of them. This is too real. Women of every ilk and trade or work place are not super women just because of their role facts. And most women cannot be Amazon invulnerable for long periods of their life either. Jane was intrinsic to the story and scene. And very real and flawed. Just as many are of every authority position. Or perp identity. Either way or path.
I'll be interested to what happens next with her and with Danny. Billy's are in all our lives, regardless of anyone wanting them there or not. Only the very lucky go without having one messing up or worse. Timing always negative to influence too, much of the pattern.
Stroby knows some real police and authority figures. You can certainly tell.
April 17, 2016
It is a kick how I found Gone ‘Til November, by Wallace Stroby. Lil Wayne (Rapper) supposedly has a book out called “Gone Til November” and my son is a huge fan of Lil Wayne. I wanted to buy his book for my son’s birthday. Well, I searched high and low, thought I found it, hit “Add to Cart”; it came in the mail. Bingo, I got the wrong book. When I realized the mistake, I almost sent it back; but, then, I read the back cover and thought, "This sounds pretty good – maybe I’ll keep it and give it a try," Oh, am I glad I did. I really enjoyed this book.
There are two stories going on side by side; twixt the two extremes. Stroby does an excellent job of bringing the two main characters together toward the end. The first main character is a woman, Sara Cross, who is a deputy sheriff in Florida. She has a young boy, six years old, who has leukemia and has gone through chemo therapy and other medical procedures for too young an age. His father left Sara when the boy developed this disease and so she is raising him by herself. She is very protective of her son, and you feel this throughout the novel.
The second main character in this story is Morgan, an opposite character background of Sara. He is older, about 60, been in the “drug” business for years, and wants to retire. But he needs to make one last big “hit” before he goes, because of his health. He has no health insurance; therefore, needs cash to pay for his medical bills. As Morgan goes through his trials and tribulations of his health, I want him to survive and get away free, get away with murder. (I can’t believe I just said that – me Miss Conservative!) But, Stroby’s portrayal of Morgan is so potent and convincing that you can’t help but want Morgan to survive!
What I enjoyed the most about this story is the continual movement. There is never a dull moment in this book. You go from Sara’s story to Morgan’s story and the two stories eventually intertwine. The way Stroby brings these two together is ingenious. His writing is superb in this respect.
I learned so much about guns in this novel; great descriptions of a Glock, Beretta, Walther, Bushmaster AR-15. And the shoot-out scenes were excellent, very realistic. I could see and smell the warm blood oozing from the victims. Also, the descriptions of landscape and weather changes were beautiful. You are right there in Florida with the mosquitos and humidity, sweating alongside the characters.
Now, there was only one area (thank goodness only a small portion) in this novel that really turned me off; the sexual-encounter verbiage. I am not a prude to say the least, but to me it was perverted. There was no need to be that explicit, and I think it was to appeal to men. I don’t think most women would appreciate it. The kick is Sara is the heroine and you’d think this would be a “chick flick”, but as far as I was concerned he could have left “his” sexual scenes out and it could have been a five-star story. Stroby needs to stick to what he knows - guns, shoot-outs and detective work.
Overall I really enjoyed this story – very riveting. I would recommend this to – uh -- most males and some females.
There are two stories going on side by side; twixt the two extremes. Stroby does an excellent job of bringing the two main characters together toward the end. The first main character is a woman, Sara Cross, who is a deputy sheriff in Florida. She has a young boy, six years old, who has leukemia and has gone through chemo therapy and other medical procedures for too young an age. His father left Sara when the boy developed this disease and so she is raising him by herself. She is very protective of her son, and you feel this throughout the novel.
The second main character in this story is Morgan, an opposite character background of Sara. He is older, about 60, been in the “drug” business for years, and wants to retire. But he needs to make one last big “hit” before he goes, because of his health. He has no health insurance; therefore, needs cash to pay for his medical bills. As Morgan goes through his trials and tribulations of his health, I want him to survive and get away free, get away with murder. (I can’t believe I just said that – me Miss Conservative!) But, Stroby’s portrayal of Morgan is so potent and convincing that you can’t help but want Morgan to survive!
What I enjoyed the most about this story is the continual movement. There is never a dull moment in this book. You go from Sara’s story to Morgan’s story and the two stories eventually intertwine. The way Stroby brings these two together is ingenious. His writing is superb in this respect.
I learned so much about guns in this novel; great descriptions of a Glock, Beretta, Walther, Bushmaster AR-15. And the shoot-out scenes were excellent, very realistic. I could see and smell the warm blood oozing from the victims. Also, the descriptions of landscape and weather changes were beautiful. You are right there in Florida with the mosquitos and humidity, sweating alongside the characters.
Now, there was only one area (thank goodness only a small portion) in this novel that really turned me off; the sexual-encounter verbiage. I am not a prude to say the least, but to me it was perverted. There was no need to be that explicit, and I think it was to appeal to men. I don’t think most women would appreciate it. The kick is Sara is the heroine and you’d think this would be a “chick flick”, but as far as I was concerned he could have left “his” sexual scenes out and it could have been a five-star story. Stroby needs to stick to what he knows - guns, shoot-outs and detective work.
Overall I really enjoyed this story – very riveting. I would recommend this to – uh -- most males and some females.
November 12, 2019
As I work my way through Wallace Stroby's catalog of crime thrillers, I bounced back to his pre-Crissa Stone series days to 'Gone 'til November'. It's a fine example of a writer who seemingly had a mastery of the genre and his own propulsive writing technique from the jump.
'Gone 'til November' begins in the aftermath of the seemingly justified shooting of a young black man from New York by a deputy sheriff, Billy Flynn, in northern Florida. A fellow deputy, Sara Cross, who happens to be an ex-lover and ex-partner, arrives on scene, hears his explanation of what happened and provides support until the EMTs and additional police show up. According to police administrators, the shooting is justified and the deputy is off the hook. Or is he? Despite the air tight appearance of the facts, some questions remain. What was the victim doing in Florida? Why was he carrying a small arsenal of sophisticated weapons in his trunk? And why did he run? His common-law wife shows up and begins asking those questions herself, since the victim was, by all accounts, a good kid who was in college and seemingly doing all the right things.
A parallel track, comprising alternating chapters, addresses the reasons why the young man was on the journey, which involve drugs, money, and Haitians. An aging, sick gangster is dispatched by a drug kingpin to find out what happened to the cargo being hauled by the victim. In the meantime, Sara's suspicious of her ex-partner's story. What results is a lot of blood and probably more action than that little town in Florida is likely to see for a long time.
Gone 'til November is a dynamite crime story full of great characters and Stroby's impeccable use of dialogue. Highly recommended!
'Gone 'til November' begins in the aftermath of the seemingly justified shooting of a young black man from New York by a deputy sheriff, Billy Flynn, in northern Florida. A fellow deputy, Sara Cross, who happens to be an ex-lover and ex-partner, arrives on scene, hears his explanation of what happened and provides support until the EMTs and additional police show up. According to police administrators, the shooting is justified and the deputy is off the hook. Or is he? Despite the air tight appearance of the facts, some questions remain. What was the victim doing in Florida? Why was he carrying a small arsenal of sophisticated weapons in his trunk? And why did he run? His common-law wife shows up and begins asking those questions herself, since the victim was, by all accounts, a good kid who was in college and seemingly doing all the right things.
A parallel track, comprising alternating chapters, addresses the reasons why the young man was on the journey, which involve drugs, money, and Haitians. An aging, sick gangster is dispatched by a drug kingpin to find out what happened to the cargo being hauled by the victim. In the meantime, Sara's suspicious of her ex-partner's story. What results is a lot of blood and probably more action than that little town in Florida is likely to see for a long time.
Gone 'til November is a dynamite crime story full of great characters and Stroby's impeccable use of dialogue. Highly recommended!
January 26, 2014
This is my first Wallace Stroby novel, having only previously read the short story 'Lovers in the Cold', which I thoroughly enjoyed. In this novel Florida Sheriff's Deputy Sara Cross attends the Scene of a shooting where fellow Deputy Billy Flynn, her ex-lover, has shot and killed the lone occupant of a vehicle, who he claims pulled a gun on him first. The car also contains a cache of weapons and after investigation the shooting is believed to be justified. However Sara isn't totally convinced and she starts to dig around looking for clues. Meanwhile in New Jersey 'gansta' Mikey-Mike also hears of the incident and sends his henchman Morgan to check things out, pending a new deal he has planned with a Haitians gang also in Florida. Sara finds that things aren't quite what they seem and the paths of all the parties eventually converge in a blood filled finale.
I enjoyed this novel and it's probably the characters, especially Sara and Morgan, that make the book, as the story is probably not that original. Sara comes across as the fairly level headed cop but her private life is beset with problems and her relationship with ex-lover Billy is not fully resolved and she tends not to think too straight when it comes to him. Morgan is an 'old hand' at his game and doesn't suffer fools, especially the new breed of young gang bangers that have taken over the scene. He also has a penchant for old school soul music which he listens too on cassette tapes.
I've already ordered another of Stroby's novels as these aren't yet published on Kindle in the UK.
I enjoyed this novel and it's probably the characters, especially Sara and Morgan, that make the book, as the story is probably not that original. Sara comes across as the fairly level headed cop but her private life is beset with problems and her relationship with ex-lover Billy is not fully resolved and she tends not to think too straight when it comes to him. Morgan is an 'old hand' at his game and doesn't suffer fools, especially the new breed of young gang bangers that have taken over the scene. He also has a penchant for old school soul music which he listens too on cassette tapes.
I've already ordered another of Stroby's novels as these aren't yet published on Kindle in the UK.
January 15, 2015
Taut, tense thriller
Tense, tight and never trite, GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER is a much a writing-craft manual as it is a confident, noirish crime novel. Perfectly plotted and pretension-free.
Tense, tight and never trite, GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER is a much a writing-craft manual as it is a confident, noirish crime novel. Perfectly plotted and pretension-free.
November 10, 2020
Sara Cross is the first on scene as her ex-partner and lover, Billy, has shot a black man at the side of the road. It appears to be a clean shoot with firearms found in the deceased’s car. Meanwhile, in Newark, NJ, aging gang fixer, Morgan is targeted after carrying out orders for boss, Mikey Mike. The man killed in Florida was supposed to deliver his goods in order to broker a deal between Mikey Mike and a group of Haitians in order to replace Mikey’s lost supply line. He sends Morgan to Florida to find out what went wrong and how to salvage things.
Stroby has written a book of contrasts as he placed a simple crime story framework around a book that is at once a small town mystery, with the townsfolk knowing all of Sara’s business whether she wants them to or not, and a hardboiled urban noir, with cancer-ridden Morgan looking at one more job before disappearing into the sunset. Within in this he focuses on the characters of Sara and Morgan and what makes them tick and how they are seeking the same thing, but for very different reasons.
The writing is plainitive, but engaging, with great dialogue throughout. My one criticism would be that the action scenes needed a bit less going on as I found myself tuning out of them due to how many different actions were being described. That might be a me thing, but didn’t feel engaged with them in the same way that I was with the character moments and story.
A fine experience with a book that has sat on my shelf/in my drawers for years before being sought as a fairly pressure free read and was a quality slice of noir. I have other early Stroby books to catch up with in his Harry Rane couplet sitting around, which I’ll look to read shortly (by my standards).
Stroby has written a book of contrasts as he placed a simple crime story framework around a book that is at once a small town mystery, with the townsfolk knowing all of Sara’s business whether she wants them to or not, and a hardboiled urban noir, with cancer-ridden Morgan looking at one more job before disappearing into the sunset. Within in this he focuses on the characters of Sara and Morgan and what makes them tick and how they are seeking the same thing, but for very different reasons.
The writing is plainitive, but engaging, with great dialogue throughout. My one criticism would be that the action scenes needed a bit less going on as I found myself tuning out of them due to how many different actions were being described. That might be a me thing, but didn’t feel engaged with them in the same way that I was with the character moments and story.
A fine experience with a book that has sat on my shelf/in my drawers for years before being sought as a fairly pressure free read and was a quality slice of noir. I have other early Stroby books to catch up with in his Harry Rane couplet sitting around, which I’ll look to read shortly (by my standards).
June 8, 2022
Wallace Stroby has become one of my favorite crime writers. I have yet to read a bad book of his. This was widely considered his best book for a time and it's tough to disagree. A moving crime novel of race, class, and circumstance. Stroby is one of the few white male writers I'd trust to write from a white female or Black male perspective. Only beef with this is I was looking for some more New Jersey in this tale and about 97% of it takes place in Florida.
July 6, 2021
The more I read of this bloke stuff the more I like his work.
He drags you into a story vortex and then spits you out at the end leaving you thinking wtf!
Smart character development and plot.
He drags you into a story vortex and then spits you out at the end leaving you thinking wtf!
Smart character development and plot.
August 23, 2021
Very enjoyable crime novel. Good dialog, good characters, good plot and very well written. Very quick read.
January 18, 2011
Late one night St. Charles County, Florida Deputy Sheriff Sara Cross is dispatched to the scene of a traffic stop gone wrong. Upon her arrival at the deserted rural location where the stop occurred Cross finds Deputy Billy Flynn, a dead suspect, and the suspect’s car trunk stuffed full of illegal weapons.
Flynn indicates that despite it being a routine traffic stop the suspect was acting inordinately nervous so he asked him to open the trunk. Instead the suspect fled, and when commanded to stop turned and pulled a gun on Flynn who shot in self-defense. Sounds believable, and the evidence at the scene backs up Flynn’s story, so Internal Affairs clears Flynn in the shooting.
Sara isn’t entirely convinced, however, and the arrival of the dead man’s widow in town issuing threats of retribution from the people in New Jersey her husband was working for does little to ease Sara’s concerns that there is more to the situation than initially met the eye.
Her suspicions are confirmed when thugs from Jersey show up looking not for what was found in the trunk… but for what wasn’t. Lead by old-timer and career criminal Morgan, the gangsters make their presence known in a very violent manner that quickly turns the small, backwoods town upside down.
Author Wallace Stroby skillfully moves the story forward through alternating looks at the dilemmas facing Sara and Morgan. Sara wants to believe Flynn, with whom she was previously romantically involved, and Stroby does a masterful job portraying the internal conflict Sara wrestles with between her lingering feelings for a man she once loved and her desire to do her job objectively and pursue the truth no matter where it leads her.
Where it leads her, slowly but surely, is into direct conflict with Morgan. Recently diagnosed with cancer and needing serious money to pay for the treatment, Morgan is on his self-declared last assignment. Determined to get to the objective before his fellow gangsters and leverage the job for his own benefit, Morgan is willing to do whatever it takes and go through whoever stands in his way in order to secure his last big score.
Gone ‘Til November is an intense character study that explores the devastating consequences a single poor decision can have, not just on the life of the one who makes it but on the lives of everyone around them. Stroby has taken a relatively straightforward crime story and developed it into a wonderfully nuanced look at the terrible choices people have to make when confronted with situations that challenge their moral compass, especially when the easiest choice would be to do nothing at all.
There’s no dilemma about what choice you should make though. If you enjoy well written crime fiction with realistic, engaging characters you need to get Gone ‘Til November.
Flynn indicates that despite it being a routine traffic stop the suspect was acting inordinately nervous so he asked him to open the trunk. Instead the suspect fled, and when commanded to stop turned and pulled a gun on Flynn who shot in self-defense. Sounds believable, and the evidence at the scene backs up Flynn’s story, so Internal Affairs clears Flynn in the shooting.
Sara isn’t entirely convinced, however, and the arrival of the dead man’s widow in town issuing threats of retribution from the people in New Jersey her husband was working for does little to ease Sara’s concerns that there is more to the situation than initially met the eye.
Her suspicions are confirmed when thugs from Jersey show up looking not for what was found in the trunk… but for what wasn’t. Lead by old-timer and career criminal Morgan, the gangsters make their presence known in a very violent manner that quickly turns the small, backwoods town upside down.
Author Wallace Stroby skillfully moves the story forward through alternating looks at the dilemmas facing Sara and Morgan. Sara wants to believe Flynn, with whom she was previously romantically involved, and Stroby does a masterful job portraying the internal conflict Sara wrestles with between her lingering feelings for a man she once loved and her desire to do her job objectively and pursue the truth no matter where it leads her.
Where it leads her, slowly but surely, is into direct conflict with Morgan. Recently diagnosed with cancer and needing serious money to pay for the treatment, Morgan is on his self-declared last assignment. Determined to get to the objective before his fellow gangsters and leverage the job for his own benefit, Morgan is willing to do whatever it takes and go through whoever stands in his way in order to secure his last big score.
Gone ‘Til November is an intense character study that explores the devastating consequences a single poor decision can have, not just on the life of the one who makes it but on the lives of everyone around them. Stroby has taken a relatively straightforward crime story and developed it into a wonderfully nuanced look at the terrible choices people have to make when confronted with situations that challenge their moral compass, especially when the easiest choice would be to do nothing at all.
There’s no dilemma about what choice you should make though. If you enjoy well written crime fiction with realistic, engaging characters you need to get Gone ‘Til November.
September 24, 2010
I recently had a one-night stand.
I’ve been down-and-out. Looking through the new releases and best sellers, it’s been really hard trying to find something new and current to read and review for iEATbooks. It seems that there are plenty of serial killer books and vampire novels out there. Many of the best sellers are throw-away-novels that you’ll forget an hour or two after reading them.
Then I came across Wallace Stroby’s Gone ‘Till November, a recently published crime novel. Crime novel? I know. Crime novels are the champion throw-aways. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book had memorable and believable characters who are facing real-life dangers.
I sat down on Friday afternoon with Gone ‘Till November and was done by Saturday morning breakfast.
Stroby has written to other novels, The Barbed-Wire Kiss and The Heartbreak Lounge. Each of these two books feature a former New Jersey State Trooper.
In Gone ‘Till November, Stroby introduces a new protagonist – Florida sheriff deputy Sara Cross. Cross is a single mom to a 6-year-old with leukemia.
Sara’s ex-boyfriend, also a sheriff deputy, kills a young black man from New Jersey on a deserted country road. The shooting appears to be warranted…the guy had a truck full of guns and a gun in his hand. But Sara suspects that the entire story isn’t being told.
The dead guy is a college student that accepted an assignment from a drug dealer in Neward named Mikey-Mike. All he has to do is drive to Florida with $350,000 and hand it over to a local supplier. But after his shooting, the money is missing.
Mikey-Mike sends one of his thugs – an older guy named Morgan. Stroby does a great job of thoroughly developing Morgan’s character. He drives an aged Monte Carlo, listens to Sam Cooke, and has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Being a hired goon doesn’t come with a health plan, so Morgan has no insurance to help him beat cancer. He plans to retrieve and steal the money to get the treatment he needs.
Gone Till November is a quick-paced and totally captivating read that will grab you fast and not let go.
In ten words: Full of deception and compelling characters. Buy this book today.
I’ve been down-and-out. Looking through the new releases and best sellers, it’s been really hard trying to find something new and current to read and review for iEATbooks. It seems that there are plenty of serial killer books and vampire novels out there. Many of the best sellers are throw-away-novels that you’ll forget an hour or two after reading them.
Then I came across Wallace Stroby’s Gone ‘Till November, a recently published crime novel. Crime novel? I know. Crime novels are the champion throw-aways. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book had memorable and believable characters who are facing real-life dangers.
I sat down on Friday afternoon with Gone ‘Till November and was done by Saturday morning breakfast.
Stroby has written to other novels, The Barbed-Wire Kiss and The Heartbreak Lounge. Each of these two books feature a former New Jersey State Trooper.
In Gone ‘Till November, Stroby introduces a new protagonist – Florida sheriff deputy Sara Cross. Cross is a single mom to a 6-year-old with leukemia.
Sara’s ex-boyfriend, also a sheriff deputy, kills a young black man from New Jersey on a deserted country road. The shooting appears to be warranted…the guy had a truck full of guns and a gun in his hand. But Sara suspects that the entire story isn’t being told.
The dead guy is a college student that accepted an assignment from a drug dealer in Neward named Mikey-Mike. All he has to do is drive to Florida with $350,000 and hand it over to a local supplier. But after his shooting, the money is missing.
Mikey-Mike sends one of his thugs – an older guy named Morgan. Stroby does a great job of thoroughly developing Morgan’s character. He drives an aged Monte Carlo, listens to Sam Cooke, and has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Being a hired goon doesn’t come with a health plan, so Morgan has no insurance to help him beat cancer. He plans to retrieve and steal the money to get the treatment he needs.
Gone Till November is a quick-paced and totally captivating read that will grab you fast and not let go.
In ten words: Full of deception and compelling characters. Buy this book today.
September 12, 2011
Gone ’til November (Minotaur 2010) begins when Florida Deputy Sheriff Sara Cross arrives at what should have been a routine traffic stop to find that a young black man has been shot and killed by a fellow deputy, former lover Billy Flynn. Flynn swears that the man fled the scene and then pulled a gun on him, and a cache of arms is found in the trunk. A single parent whose young son is battling leukemia, Sara struggles against her continued attraction to Flynn and her growing conviction that something isn’t right with the shooting. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Morgan, an enforcer for a New Jersey drug boss, is dispatched to Florida to find out what happened to the money sent to pay for a drug shipment from the new Jamaican connection. Morgan, an aging contract killer who has just been diagnosed with goblet cell cancer, hopes he can finish up this job quickly, take his payment, schedule his surgery, and vanish from the life. He tells his doctor he will be gone until November. As both stories gradually converge, Sara and Morgan struggle to balance what their respective jobs require them to do, and what they know is the right thing. Morgan is an incredible character — smart, capable, and ruthless, yet with a strong sense of humanity. The beautiful and usually peaceful Florida Everglades setting provides the background for the racism, greed, and violence that erupts in this excellent noir thriller.
Wallace Stroby page at SYKM
Wallace Stroby page at SYKM
March 6, 2014
Blurbification - Tormented lives brutally intersect in Stroby's powerful thriller, the possible first in a new series to feature Sara Cross, the lone woman sheriff's deputy in Florida's St. Charles County. One night, Cross, a single mother who's coping with her son's leukemia and the remnants of a two-years-gone postdivorce fling with fellow deputy Billy Flynn, arrives on the edge of a cypress swamp where Flynn has just shot a 22-year-old black man from New Jersey allegedly fleeing a traffic stop. Sara tries to smother her still-simmering lust for no-good Billy, but her cop instincts drive her toward a dismaying truth that hurtles her into a violent showdown with an aging New Jersey contract killer stricken with a rare cancer. While relentlessly probing the eternal mystery of why bright and capable women fall for dangerous losers, Stroby (The Heartbreak Lounge) explores moral choices that leave his devastatingly real characters torn between doing nothing and risking everything.
It is easy to see why some items in the TBR storage boxes get passed over again and again however I aim to bust that drossy stash this year, well, make a good stab at it anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2016
On patrol one evening in Florida’s St Charles County, deputy sheriff Sara Cross is called to the scene of an officer in trouble and a shooting. The victim is a 22 year old black man supposedly fleeing a traffic stop. Further complicating the scenario is fellow deputy Billy Flynn, Sara’s former lover is the shooter (and may I say a loser). It looks straight forward, car with satchel of guns in the trunk, dead man several yards away with a gun a bit farther away than that. Sara hasn’t totally gotten over Billy and is appalled that he was in danger. Internal Affairs clears Billy but there’s a storm coming that none of them could be prepared for.
Meanwhile Sara is living in her own personal hell, her son has leukemia. His treatments seem to be working but between the pressures of the job, the pressures at home and the loneliness since she kicked Billy out, she’s truly not thinking straight. And there are too many unanswered questions. Even though the investigation is officially over, Sara continues because it just doesn’t feel right, she’s a good cop. Unfortunately her instincts are correct and she finds herself in increasing danger from the wife of the deceased, a hired gun, several other armed interested parties and Billy himself.
Meanwhile Sara is living in her own personal hell, her son has leukemia. His treatments seem to be working but between the pressures of the job, the pressures at home and the loneliness since she kicked Billy out, she’s truly not thinking straight. And there are too many unanswered questions. Even though the investigation is officially over, Sara continues because it just doesn’t feel right, she’s a good cop. Unfortunately her instincts are correct and she finds herself in increasing danger from the wife of the deceased, a hired gun, several other armed interested parties and Billy himself.
February 18, 2010
Written in lean prose, this is a powerful story about people making decisions that affect their lives while having a rippling effect on those around them. While technically a mystery, this book would appeal to any reader who enjoys a story with depth, flawed characters and a taut storyline. It was reminiscent of The House of Sand and Fog, with three very distinct and disparate characters whose motivations and paths ultimately collide with life-changing and to some extent, tragic results. This is quick read that will capture the reader's attention and never let go.
December 28, 2015
I like a good fast paced read..I don't like two story lines..but I liked this book. quick read, held my attention. I am sure there were multiple holes in the story line but I didn't care. A nice strong female lead character. Her one almost fatal flaw..Billy.
June 6, 2016
This was a pretty good story, one that keeps you reading. Not bad.
July 2, 2017
3.5*
August 10, 2023
I generally can take or leave the Black Mask stories in “Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.” They’re ok, but I don’t jump to them upon receipt of the magazine. I think this book would classify as a hard-boiled noir mystery. To my surprise, it impressed me immensely. Mostly, it was the dialogue that kept me reading. Character development isn’t large here, but plot movement will keep you pushing the play button.
Sara Cross is a deputy in a small Florida town. Her erstwhile lover, Billy Flynn, works for the same police agency. One night, Sara responds to a call indicating that a cop took part in a traffic stop that ended fatally for the young black man.
It looks cut and dried to Sara as she observes the scene. Billy Flynn insists he told the man whose car he stopped to relinquish his gun; he did not. He died. But as she digs, Sara uncovers discrepancies that alarm her. Her dilemma: Keep it quiet or talk to her boss.
Meanwhile, up in New Jersey, a drug runner wonders what happened to his shipment of guns and drugs he sent to Florida with the black college student who needed a little stopgap money. The shipment never reached its intended destination. The drug runner calls on an associate who wants to do one last gig, then walk away. What the drug runner doesn’t know is that his associate has cancer and needs a few hundred thousand to pay medical bills. The sick guy’s last name is Morgan.
This moves to a satisfactory albeit sad, bitter/sweet conclusion.
I thought Sara Cross was the weakest character in the book. The author could have written her out of it entirely, but he needed a connection between Morgan and Sara’s son, Danny. Usually, single moms are heroic in some way in books like this. Sara largely annoyed me; she seemed weak and unimpressive for most of the book.
Sara Cross is a deputy in a small Florida town. Her erstwhile lover, Billy Flynn, works for the same police agency. One night, Sara responds to a call indicating that a cop took part in a traffic stop that ended fatally for the young black man.
It looks cut and dried to Sara as she observes the scene. Billy Flynn insists he told the man whose car he stopped to relinquish his gun; he did not. He died. But as she digs, Sara uncovers discrepancies that alarm her. Her dilemma: Keep it quiet or talk to her boss.
Meanwhile, up in New Jersey, a drug runner wonders what happened to his shipment of guns and drugs he sent to Florida with the black college student who needed a little stopgap money. The shipment never reached its intended destination. The drug runner calls on an associate who wants to do one last gig, then walk away. What the drug runner doesn’t know is that his associate has cancer and needs a few hundred thousand to pay medical bills. The sick guy’s last name is Morgan.
This moves to a satisfactory albeit sad, bitter/sweet conclusion.
I thought Sara Cross was the weakest character in the book. The author could have written her out of it entirely, but he needed a connection between Morgan and Sara’s son, Danny. Usually, single moms are heroic in some way in books like this. Sara largely annoyed me; she seemed weak and unimpressive for most of the book.
April 18, 2021
Another fantastic find thanks to Goodreads reviews. Stroby is a thriller writer who writes characters so strongly you can see and hear them and reading each novel is very much like watching a movie in full and beautiful colour. Working my way through his back catalogue and enjoying it every step of the way.
January 5, 2022
3 stars. A sheriff's deputy in Florida and a New Jersey hood end up on a collision course. The deputy because she's driven to find out what really happened during a seemingly clean police shooting, and the hood because he needs a big score. Both are betrayed by people close to them, and both are relentless in pursuit of their goals. The story is nice and moody, but not gripping.
August 10, 2025
Lord.
I had to check when this was written.
Then I had to finish the book to see if the gross unnecessary use of words were “going to help set the scene” but really, it kept getting more ignorant. I was hoping for there to be some redemption at the end, but in reality I think this author just wanted to use the N word and write as a black person (a character in the book.)
I had to check when this was written.
Then I had to finish the book to see if the gross unnecessary use of words were “going to help set the scene” but really, it kept getting more ignorant. I was hoping for there to be some redemption at the end, but in reality I think this author just wanted to use the N word and write as a black person (a character in the book.)
May 29, 2022
4 1/2 stars. Brilliant ending! I could hear Sam Cooke's voice singing during Morgan's storyline. Usually I prefer everything resolved by the end, but with the loose ends it begs for a sequel. Great characters with substantive individual stories. Recommend.
August 30, 2022
Stroby gets right into the story, to the point dialog, descriptions only when it moves the story along. Some of the characters were stereotypes, but Sara and Morgan were great as the main characters. Honest ending.
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